With the government’s ban on the sale of petrol and diesel cars in 2035, the UK is well on its way to meeting its target of becoming net-zero carbon by 2050. But, some urban areas in England are struggling with air pollution caused by petrol and diesel cars – most notably London.
ULEZ, or the Ultra Low Emission Zone, was created to tackle the growing problem.
But what is the Ultra Low Emission Zone? How much is the daily ULEZ fee? And most importantly, are electric vehicles exempt from the Ultra Low Emission Zone (ULEZ) charges?
Keep reading to learn everything about ULEZ fees, eligible cars, and the discounts available.
The Ultra Low Emission Zone (ULEZ) was introduced by London Mayor Sadiq Khan in 2019. If your vehicle doesn’t meet certain pollution standards when you drive through the zone, you’ll need to pay a daily fee.
The aim of the ULEZ is to improve the air quality for Londoners and encourage the transition to zero-emission vehicles since the charges only need to be paid if you drive your vehicle within the zone and do not meet the standards.
Yes, if you own a battery electric vehicle, such as a Tesla or Nissan Leaf, you are fully exempt from the Ultra Low Emission Zone. Since pure electric cars don’t emit any tailpipe emissions, fully electric cars are not subjected to the £12.50 daily ULEZ fee.
The majority of hybrid electric cars meet the emission standards, meaning it’s highly unlikely you will have to pay the ULEZ charge if you own a hybrid vehicle. That being said, make sure you double-check that you hybrid before entering, as your vehicle needs to meet the minimum emission standards, given that hybrid cars use both an electric motor and an internal combustion engine.
For petrol and diesel cars, motorcycles, vans and specialist vehicles (up to 3.5 tonnes), you will have to pay a daily fee of £12.50 each time you enter the ULEZ.
ULEZ operates 24 hours a day, seven days a week and every day except for Christmas Day. Charging runs from midnight to midnight.
You can pay online on the Transport for London website or download the Transport for London Pay to Drive app. With this app, you can set up Auto Pay, where Transport for London will automatically bill you every time you enter the ULEZ if your vehicle doesn’t meet the standards. There is a £10 registration charge for every vehicle you add to Auto Pay each year.
The ULEZ area expanded on 25th October 2021 to include the area inside the North Circular and South Circular Roads, such as:
Barnet, Brent, Camden, City of Westminster, Ealing, Hammersmith, Fulham, Kensington, Chelsea, Greenwich, Newham, Tower Hamlets, Hackney, Redbridge, Waltham Forest, Enfield, Haringey, Islington, Hounslow, Richmond, Wandsworth, Lambeth, Lewisham, Southwark.
Before this change, the ULEZ focused solely on the centre of London.
The Ultra Low Emission Zone expanded again on 29 August 2023 to cover the entire Greater London area.
Find a full map of the Ultra Low Emission Zone.
There are various signs beforehand (such as on major roads) and on approach to the ULEZ boundary (directional signs which show routes that take you into the ULEZ and those that don’t). There are also signs distinctly telling you when you enter the ULEZ and signs reminding you that cameras are operating. These signs will most likely be green or blue, such as the below image.
You can check if your vehicle meets the relevant emission and safety standards on the government website. You will be able to enter your number plate on the Transport for London website, where they will be able to give you a definitive answer as to whether or not your vehicle qualifies.
Typically, petrol cars registered after 2005 will meet the ULEZ standards and, therefore, won’t have to pay the £12.50 fee. On the other hand, diesel cars will most likely be exempt from the fee if they were built after September 2015.
All fully electric vehicles meet the emission standards and therefore do not have to pay the fee.
No, the ULEZ is separate from the Congestion Charge in London. For full details regarding the Congestion Charge, read our blog.
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This type of electric charger has it's own cable to charge your car.
This type of electric charger requires a seperate cable to charge your car.
Spread over a 60 month period.
Tenants and homeowners are eligible for finance.
You decide the amount of months.
Minimum of £1000.
We will contact you to process the credit application. Approval is subject to application, financial circumstances and borrowing history. 13.9% APR representative. T&Cs apply.
Your order is not confirmed until your application has been approved.
We lay SWA cable laid at 600mm deep, with a protective cable warning tape laid 150mm above the cable. These are laid on a sand or sifted sand soil bed then backfilled.
We position overhead cables at a minimum height of 3.5m and are run along a catenary wire. The cable run should not be accessible to vehicles.
Standard Installation
Our instant price is fixed if it falls within our standard installation package plus any additions that you have selected (extra cabling for example). This package covers the majority of homes in the UK. Before we undertake your installation we will carry out a digital survey to check that nothing has been missed. After reviewing the survey results some additional work may be required in order to complete your installation safely and to the required standards. If this is the case, we will contact you well before the installation date and advise the cost of any required work. You can then continue with your installation, or alternatively we will refund you in full if you do not want to proceed.
Included in our standard installation is :
• Fitting of a single phase charge point to a brick or plaster wall or other suitable permanent structure
• Up to 10 metres of cable, run and neatly clipped to the wall between the electricity supply meter / distribution board and the charge point.
• Routing of the cable through a drilled hole in a wall up to 500mm (20 inches) thick if this is needed.
• The fitting and testing of electrical connections and protections required for the charge point.
• An additional three way consumer unit, if required
• Installation of a Type A RCBO in an RCBO enclosure
• Up to 3 metres of plastic trunking to conceal interior wiring.
• An O-pen earth protection device if the charge point requires it. (This is NOT an earth rod)
• Up to 4 hours of labour from your installer to complete the work.
• Electrical testing of the whole installation.
• Handover and setup of the charge point and any app that may be needed.
Not included in our standard installation (additional work) :
• Where the installation requires additional cabling over and above the amount you have told us about.
• Upgrade/replacement of the main incoming supply fuse where the local DNO (eg Northern Powergrid) would need to attend site.
• If the charge point is to be mounted on a post/pedestal rather than an existing wall and where you have not selected a post as an extra cost option in your order.
• Installation of a charge point to a three phase supply.
• Where gas and water mains bonding (earthing) is not in place at your property. If this is not in place, additional work would be required before installation of the charge point.
• Any groundwork that has not been selected during the order process.
A Surge Protection Device is not included in our standard installation.
What else you need to know :
• On the day of installation, please ensure that the area around your consumer unit (fuse box), incoming electricity supply meter and proposed charge point location (including where the cable is expected to be run) is clear and free of obstructions.
• We will need your WiFi password as part of the installation process in order to connect your charge point to the internet. Please have this available for the installer. Details will not be kept.
• The charge point must be on your own designated off road parking.
• The charger will be fixed in line with current guidelines at a height where it cannot be hit by a vehicle.
• Our installers are not able to enter loft spaces; lift floorboards or flooring; take apart any furniture of work above a height of 2m. If you anticipate that any of this may be required, then please contact us and we can discuss in more detail and provide you with a quotation.
• Should there be extreme weather conditions our installers may not be able to continue with you installation if it is not safe to do so (for example flooding). They will always do their best to complete the work where they can.
If you have any questions then please contact our customer service team who will be happy to help. Please also read our terms and conditions.
